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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · stick · snap · ruler · court · last · kid · pitch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. last — final
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. court — for sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to click
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — of a king
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. court — of law
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com